“It is rather unfortunate that some quarters, particularly those who play the religious card, demand that non-Muslims respect Islam, but at the same time encourage ‘loose cannons’ to belittle the beliefs of others,” he told FMT.

Ti, who is the party’s Religious Harmony Bureau chairman, was commenting on the controversial slides, used by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia during a Asian and Islamic Civilisation (Titas) subject, considered demeaning to Hindus and Sikhs.

Among the controversial points in the slides were that Islam introduced the meaning of personal hygiene to Hindus in India.

Another slide also claimed that “Sikhism founder Kabir” did not fully understand Islam and was influenced by the surrounding Hindu community.

UTM’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Wahid Omar has since apologised and has promised to investigate the incident as well as take necessary action.

Ti noted that if a non-Muslim made a similar remark about Islam, certain quarters would call for the individual to be arrested for sedition and insist that Malaysia’s official religion be respected by the minority.

“It’s a matter of do unto others. People should really ask themselves, ‘would I be happy if someone said this about my religion’? If the answer is no, then don’t espouse such ideas.”

The former assemblyman said while not all Muslims would accept the “facts” presented on these slides, such misleading information could have an adverse effect on those who knew very little about other faiths.

Ti cautioned that those not in the know would believe the information on the slides wholeheartedly and, worse, spread such lies among family members and others.

“And this is something we could do without.”